Rotary photographic film driers



Feb. 26, 1957 J. c. coTA ROTARY PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM DRIERS Filed May 3, 1955 (TOE C 6 I N VEN TOR.

United States Pat ent 0 ROTARY PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM DRIERS Joe C. Cota, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May 3, 1955, Serial No. 505,627

2 Claims. (Cl. 34-82) This invention relates to rotary photographic film driers, and more particularly to a film drier in which the films are suspended within a housing and are subjected to circulating heated air which not only causes quick drying but also causes the rotation of the support for the films placed thereon.

Among the salient objects of the invention are:

To provide a compact film drier, in which a plurality of films to be dried can be quickly and easily placed therein, to be suspended from a support, in a tilted position in the plane thereof, whereby the drippings from said films fiow to the lower corner thereof;

To provide a film drier of the character referred to in which a plurality of rotatable supports for films can be mounted one above the other, on the same shaft, thus increasing the capacity of the drier, said rotatable supports being so constructed and so arranged that air circulating in said drier housing will operate to cause the rotation of said film supports and the films suspended therefrom;

To provide a drier housing having a chamber above the film supports in which a motor driven blower or fan is located, with ventilating windows, and with heating elements arranged for the proper heating and circulating of the air through said housing.

Other advantages and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of one practical embodiment of the invention, taken with the accompanying drawings, explaining the same in detail. In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a complete drier housing;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view through said drier housing, taken on line 2-2, Fig. l, with a portion broken away to reduce the size of the figure;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line I 33, on Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of one of the film supports, taken on the line 4-4 on Fig. 2; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5'5, Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the dryer housing as here shown is preferably of round form and made of sheet metal. Said housing is designated 6, with a door 7 therefor and with a Window 7 therein.

A door-like provision at 8 gives access to a filtering medium for filtering the air drawn into the housing, as will be understood from Figs. 1, 2 and 3. This provision for filtering the air can be of any suitable and efficient material and can be held in a removable frame of any suitable size and form, as indicated at 8.

In the upper part of the household is a floor, as 9, forming an upper chamber 10, in which is a blower case 11, having its mouth or discharge opening through the floor, at one side of the center thereof, as indicated in Fig. 3, with its motor-driven blower in the upper part of said case 11, as at 11.

In the mouth of said blower case, I have indicated a heating element, as 12. It will be understood, of course,

2,782,526 Patented Feb. 26, 19 57 that any motor-driven blower can be used and .that the usual timer control switch, as at '13, can 'be provided on the outside of the housing, as indicated in Figs. '1 and '3, whereby said blower can be turned on in the usual way by turning the switch 13.

Mounted in the lower part of said dryer housing is a supporting shaft 14, having suitable bearings at its upper and lower ends, as at 15, 15.

On said shaft 14, at its upper and lower portions, are two wheel-like structures, each having a hub portion 16, to which are attached a plurality of spoke-like supporting vanes or members, as 17, 17, of tapering form and set at slight angles relative to the hub axis, as clearly indicated. The outer ends of said vanes or members 17, 17, are connected by a rim or band 17".

These supporting, radial arms or vanes, are revoluble as a unit on the shaft 14, whereby they can be freely turned thereon. Each of said supporting vanes 17 is provided on its under side, toward its outer end with a broad hook-like support, as 17', in which the top frame F for holding the film can be easily laid, as indicated in, Fig. 2.

Also secured to said central shaft 14, below the hub portions 16, 16, are two cup-like members, as 18, 18, opening upwardly so that the hook ends of the filmholding frames F can be hooked over the edges of said cups 18, as indicated in Fig. 2, lower part where two film-holding frames are shown in place for drying films.

It will be noted that the positions of the cups 18, the taper of the vanes 17, 17, and the position of the broad hook-like members 17, normally hold said film-holding frames F in a tilted position in their own planes, thus the drainage runs to the lower corners of said frames F, as will be understood from the showing in Fig. 2.

The bottom of said dryer housing 6, is provided with openings, as 19, for drainage, and also that there is suspended under said bottom a drip pan, as 19'.

I do not limit the invention to the details of construction and arrangement as here shown for explanatory purposes, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claims forming a part of this application.

I claim:

1. A rotary photographic film drier including a housing, a motor-driven blower in the upper part of said housing for circulating air through said housing, a wheel-like support rotatably supported in said housing and having radial vane-like members designed to hold fihn-holding frames, means on the underside of said members for suspending film-holding frames therefrom to revolve therewith, said vane-like members having angle portions to be impinged by the moving air in said housing for revolving said wheel-like support and said film-holding frames, filtering means through which the air is drawn by said blower, and means in connection with said blower for heating the air discharged therefrom, whereby to facilitate the drying action, the means on the underside of said radial vane-like members are positioned to hold the film-holding frames in tilted position within their planes.

2. In a photographic film drying apparatus, a round housing, having an air filtering inlet to said housing, means forming a chamber in the upper part of said housing, a motor-driven blower in said chamber, said blower having means as a part thereof for heating the air discharged therefrom, a central shaft in the lower part of said housing, two wheel-like supporting members on said shaft, one above the other, each of said members having radial, spoke-like members as a part thereof for supporting film-holding frames thereunder, said members having angle surfaces to be impinged by air moving through said housing to cause rotation of said wheel-like members, supporting means under said wheel-like members for detachably suspending film-holding frames thereunder to rotate therewith, and a door in said housing for age runs to itsinner lower corner.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,477,063 Kind Dec. 11, 1923 5 1,679,239 Cassereau July 31, 1928 2,411,365 Card Nov. 19, 1946 

